23When he was approaching forty years old, it arose in his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. [7:24] Seeing one being wronged, he defended him and struck down the Egyptian, obtaining justice for the one being oppressed. [7:25] He supposed his brothers would understand that God was giving them deliverance through his hand, but they did not understand. [7:26] The next day he appeared to them as they were fighting and tried to reconcile them to peace, saying: 'Men, you are brothers — why do you wrong one another?' [7:27] But the one who was wronging his neighbor pushed him aside, saying: 'Who appointed you ruler and judge over us? [7:28] Do you want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' [7:29] At this word Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.
ACT 7:23-29
The Rejection and Flight of Moses
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, Moses' actions would have been understood through the lens of honor-shame dynamics and the role of a deliverer. Moses, raised in Pharaoh's household, would have been seen as a figure of privilege and authority. His decision to defend an oppressed Israelite by killing an Egyptian reflects the Greco-Roman ideal of a patron intervening for the vulnerable, though his violent act would also raise questions about justice and retribution . His assumption that his fellow Israelites would recognize him as their deliverer aligns with Jewish expectations of a God-appointed leader, yet their rejection underscores the tension between divine calling and communal acceptance. Moses' flight to Midian as a (resident alien) would resonate with Jewish audiences familiar with exile narratives and the precarious status of foreigners in Roman society. The story highlights themes of identity, divine providence, and the cost of leadership, all central to Jewish and Greco-Roman thought.
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How other translations render this
ACT 7:23
- KJV
- And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
- BSB
- When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
- Koinōnos
- When he was approaching forty years old, it arose in his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel.
ACT 7:24
- KJV
- And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
- BSB
- And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.
- Koinōnos
- Seeing one being wronged, he defended him and struck down the Egyptian, obtaining justice for the one being oppressed.
ACT 7:25
- KJV
- For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
- BSB
- He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.
- Koinōnos
- He supposed his brothers would understand that God was giving them deliverance through his hand, but they did not understand.
ACT 7:26
- KJV
- And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
- BSB
- The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
- Koinōnos
- The next day he appeared to them as they were fighting and tried to reconcile them to peace, saying: 'Men, you are brothers — why do you wrong one another?
ACT 7:27
- KJV
- But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
- BSB
- But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?
- Koinōnos
- But the one who was wronging his neighbor pushed him aside, saying: 'Who appointed you ruler and judge over us?
ACT 7:28
- KJV
- Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
- BSB
- Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
- Koinōnos
- Do you want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
ACT 7:29
- KJV
- Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
- BSB
- At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.
- Koinōnos
- At this word Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
ACT 7:23
- mind:The word translated 'mind' here refers to the very core of a person's being, the seat of their thoughts, emotions, and will, not just intellectual capacity.
ACT 7:24
- vengeance:The term translated 'vengeance' in this context carries the sense of obtaining justice or satisfaction for a wrong, rather than merely retaliatory harm.
ACT 7:25
- is giving:The word translated 'is giving' is part of a phrase that means 'salvation' or 'deliverance.' Moses believed God was using him to bring about a rescue for his people.
ACT 7:29
- exiled:The word translated 'exiled' describes someone living as a resident alien or a sojourner in a foreign land, without full citizenship rights or permanent belonging.